Lost in the real world
by obliviousworlds
Summary: It starts out with the boys wrestling around, a tickle fight and revenge, then ends with a painful nightmare that reality is never gonna settle down and leave the Winchester's alone. oneshot. Sam, Dean, & John. set sometime in season 1.


John slides the key card into the door of the motel room and sighs. The thought of nice warm beds inside the room makes him glad he stopped for the night. He's still got a little bit of research to do for the next hunt, but it isn't much and then he can just collapse into bed for a full night's sleep.

But as soon as he gets the door open, he barely has enough time to blink before he's pushed aside and his boys are stumbling in the room before him.

"Give it up bitch!" Dean says as he gets Sam in a headlock.

"No way!" Sam fights back, slamming Dean up against the wall.

John raises his eyebrows and smiles a little before walking in and closing the door. He saw this coming back in the car. Dean telling Sam that he can still kick his ass, and Sam taking on the challenge as always.

He sets Sam's laptop down on the table and takes a seat. Soon enough the room is filled with him tapping on the keyboard and Sam and Dean both still fighting.

"Maybe...we should stop. Dad's trying to work." Sam says, out of breath as he pushes against Dean.

"You're just saying that because you're losing!" Dean scowls and puts Sam in another headlock. "If it bothers him, then he can tell us to stop!"

Another smile tugs at John's lips when he glances up and sees they're both on the floor, desperately trying to pin one another down and claim victory. This doesn't bother him at all, it reminds him of when they were little and he isn't going to pass up the sound of brother rivalry.

"Shit!" It comes out of his mouth when the table all of a sudden rocks back and forth. He glances down at the boys who have now made it over next to him and sighs.

"Boys, I don't mind that you act like kids for a little bit, but can you try and keep it on the other side of the room?" He says and holds the laptop steady. A curse of words along with "Yes sir" come out of their mouths before they're on the other side of the room.

Alright, back to business. What exactly are they dealing with? Shape shifter? Regular salt and burn?

His head shoots up when he hears Sam's shrieking laughter a minute later. It scares the hell out of him, but he relaxes when he sees Dean sitting on top of him and tickling him.

Boys will be boys.

"Not hahahaha f-fair!" Sam manages to get out through his laughing as Dean digs into his sides. "D-Dean!"

"You sound like a girl!" Dean says, and John can see a smile of his own forming on his face as he continues the torture. "You should have thought about that before you took on this challenge, Sammy boy!"

In truth, it makes it harder for John to concentrate because of Sam's booming laughter throughout the motel room, but it's nice to actually hear his boy laugh. He doesn't think he's done much of that since Jessica died.

"Dad hahahah p-pleahehese h-help!" Sam somehow manages to yell out, and John looks over at him and laughs a little at his boy begging for help.

"Dean, you better let up soon." He directs towards his oldest and shuts down the computer. There's no way he's going to be getting any research done tonight.

"Why?" Dean asks, but doesn't let up. "He asked for it!"

John glances back down at Sam and notice he's on the verge of passing out. He jumps up from his seat and walks over to where they are on the floor and jabs Dean in the side.

"Ah!" He yelps and rolls off of Sam and lands face down on the floor. John look back over at Sam, who's desperately trying to get as much air as he can into his lungs.

"Better retaliate, Sammy."

Sam smirks before he manages to push himself up off the floor and is attacking Dean all over again. The roles are reversed now, and it's Dean's laughter that is now sounding out through the room.

John takes a seat down on one of the beds and shakes his head. "Our boys, Mary." He mumbles and smiles up at the ceiling.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean curses and pounds his fists against the carpet. "Sahahahahahaham! I'll murder you ahahahaha in your s-sleep!"

"Can't take it, Dean? Not my problem!" Sam shouts and for a moment John's glad that there aren't a ton of people checked into this motel.

"Alright, that's enough." He says when he sees that Sam has had his revenge. He pats him on the shoulder and Sam gets off of his brother and scoots away from him. Dean lays there panting for a few minutes before he's glaring up at his father.

"Do not give me that look." John says and smiles down at him.

"Traitor." Dean mumbles and coughs a little. "You and Sam were just arguing in the car, then you help him get me down? Not fair."

"Life isn't fair." John tells him, and guilt spreads through him when he sees Sam's eyes fall down to the ground. The sad look he's been sporting since John caught up with him and Dean all of a sudden back on his face. He knows that's making him think of Jessica.

"Life isn't fair." Sam repeats him and nods back.

John wants to just hug Sam tight and never let him go. He's tried so hard to protect both him and Dean from all the evil in this world and he failed at it. That's one of the worst feelings in the world.

He doesn't even hesitate anymore. He walks over and kneels down on the floor and pulls Sam into his arms and holds him close. His heart warms when he doesn't even pull away from him like he half expected him too.

"We're going to find this thing, and we're going to kill it." John whispers in his ear. "For your mother, and for Jessica."

Sam nods against him and wipes the back of his hand across his eyes and sniffles a little, giving a small smile up towards his dad.

John returns the smile, "Come and join the group hug, Dean!" He says, trying to lighten the mood a little bit.

"I hahahah c-cahahan't." Dean stutters out, twisting around on the floor, still giggling. Both Sam and John glance back at each other confused.

"Uh, Dean? You okay?" Sam asks.

"Shihihihit! S-Sam are you using your p-powers on m-me or s-something?"

"No, why?"

"It s-still f-feels like your t-tickling me!"

John rolls his eyes as Sam busts out laughing all over again. At least the mood has lightened a bit.

"I think you two should call it a draw." He say and glance down at my watch. "It's getting late."

Sam nods and holds out his hand when Dean's giggling finally dies down completely. Dean nods as well before accepting Sam's help at pulling him up off the floor. As soon as he's on his feet, he's pulling Sam into a bone crushing hug; something he never does.

"In bed you two. We've gotta get up early."

"When do we not get up early?" Dean asks and collapses on the bed, making sure there is enough room for Sam beside him as he climbs into bed as well.

It starts to rain as soon as they're all settled down for the night. lightning flashes through the window every few minutes and the rain pounds down on the roof. It's kind of nice.

"Sam, stop thinking so loud." Dean's voice fills the darkness and John gives a confused look, even though he can't see him.

"What? That doesn't make any sense!" Sam argues back, and then there is shifting on the bed. "You don't even know what you're talking about."

Dean sighs. "Yeah well, I do know you better get your cold ass feet off of my legs."

John sighs and turns on the lamp on the dresser and looks over at them, but they don't seem to notice.

"Jerk." Sam mumbles.

"Bitch!" Dean scowls and pokes Sam in the side, making him yelp a moment later and then he's latching onto Dean's wrists with his hands.

"Don't." He growls. "My sides are fucking sore from you tickling me."

"Well how do you think mine feel?"

"Boys." John grumbles and throws a pillow over at them. "Go. To. Sleep."

"Yes, sir." The both of them say in unison and John flicks the lamp back off.

John's woken up a few hours later by the sound of sniffling he moves to turn on the lamp, and swallows hard when he hears Sam mumbling.

"It's not fair... D-Dean... 's not f-fair." He's sobbing through each word, and it makes John sick at how upset his boy is.

"I know it isn't." Dean soothes, and places an arm around his brother and pulls him close. "Shhhh, just go back to sleep."

Sam hides his face in the pillow and continues crying a little, but exhaustion soon catches up with him and he's out of it in a few minutes.

"He alright?" John asks as Dean continues holding him close.

Dean doesn't even answer that question, he just gives his dad a sad look. "Nightmare." He says and gives him a sad look. "This happens a lot."

Yeah. John bets it does.

"Just a matter of time." He says and lays back down. "We'll put an end to this." He adds and flicks off the light and sighs nervously.

Dean nods a little and puts his face in Sam's hair. The sound of laughing and wrestling with his brother earlier all forgotten as he senses how scared Sam is right now.

Just a matter of time. None of them even know if that's the truth anymore.

* * *

_Fin._


End file.
